Real-time Satellite Data Acquisition and Operational Data Services at INCOIS

Ground Stations and Data Products

Ground stations are essential components of satellite data acquisition and processing systems (SDAPS), enabling the acquisition and processing of real-time satellite data. In line with this, INCOIS has established three ground stations (X/L in 2006, Oceansat-2 in Feb 2011, and Soumi-NPP in Apr 2016) to manage real-time operational advisory services. These stations acquire data from several sensors (satellites), including AVHRR (Metop-A, Metop-B, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19), VIIRS (Soumi-NPP), MODIS (AQUA and TERRA), and OCM (Oceansat-2). These Satellites provide wide swath and frequent observations, and INCOIS ground stations acquire data over the Northern Indian Ocean domain (0°N - 30°N; 40°E - 110°E) in real-time. The generated data products are made available to users in near real-time.

Real-time satellite data is used to generate data products that are made available to users in real-time.

These products have various applications, including:

• Advisory services for potential fishing zones (PFZ) to provide information on the ocean environment and the likely distribution of fish species.


• Ocean state forecasting to provide predictions of the ocean's physical properties, such as sea level, currents, temperature, and salinity, which are essential for shipping and coastal management.


• Coral reef mapping and reef health monitoring to understand the spatial distribution and health of coral reefs, which are important ecosystems that support biodiversity and provide ecosystem services.


• Monitoring ocean phytoplankton and suspended sediment applications (e.g., river runoff) to provide information on the ocean's biological productivity and sediment transport, which are important for fisheries, carbon cycling, and coastal sediment dynamics.


• Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) to provide information on the ocean's thermal structure, which is essential for weather forecasting, climate studies, and marine ecosystem dynamics.


• Tracking of currents and regional circulation patterns to understand the ocean's physical dynamics, which are important for understanding weather patterns, climate change, and ocean circulation.


• Monitoring of dust storms to provide information on the atmospheric and oceanic interactions that influence climate, weather patterns, and marine ecosystem dynamics.


• Identification and estimation of cyclone eye and radius of maximum wind (Rmax) for the forecasting of cyclone dynamics and intensity, which are essential for disaster management and mitigation.


• Estimation of ship speed by tracking positions at different times to improve navigation and maritime safety.


• Detection of oil spills from different sensors at different times to monitor their spread and characteristics, which are important for pollution management and environmental protection.